Combination storage and dispensing device for wound material



Jan. 27, 1959' v. A. CARLEO 2,

COMBINATION STORAGE AND DISPENSING DEVICE FOR, WOUND MATERIAL Filed April 15, 1956 INVENTOR I? lime/p511. @7660 wwm ATTORNEYS United States Patent COMBINATION STORAGE AND DISPENSING DEVICE FOR WOUND MA' IERIAL Vincent A. Carleo, Norfolk, Va., assignor of fifty percent to George Howard Loeb, Jr., Norfolk, Va.

Application April 13,1956, Serial No. 577,969 8 Claims. (Cl. 31239) The present invention relatesgenerally to a combination' storage and dispensing device for wound material wherein a plurality of rolls of such material may be stored in a cabinet or container with the bottom roll alone in dispensing position.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a combination storage and dispensing device of the type described especially adapted to contain at least three rolls of toilet tissue andincorporating a simple mechanism for positioning one roll at a'tirne into the bottom of the container where it will be out of contact with the other rolls which may be in the container.

It is common knowledge that the utilitarian function of storing and dispensing toilet tissue is usually accomplished by inserting a wooden or metal roller or shaft through the hollow'hub of the tissue roll and supporting the 2,871,978 Patented Jan. 27, 1959 2 device of the-type described which is extremely simple in construction and may be inexpensively fabricated with a minimum of working parts which will be unlikely to get out of orderin normal use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described which is free of any axles, spindles, or the like so that the roll which is being dispensed rests merely on the bottom of the container and may be withdrawn as desired from a downwardly open slot in the latter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination storage and dispensing device incorporating a simple and virtually foolproof feeding element which serves both to position one roll at a time into the bottom portion of the container and also to maintain such roll out of contact with the other rolls in the container when it is in dispensing position.

Yet another object of theinvention is to provide a device of the type described incorporating a special slot arrangement in the lower portion of the container so that the empty hub of a used roll of tissue may be readily removed from the container but will not accidentally drop through. the dispensingslot, while at the same time either anew or partially used roll in the dispensing position may be manually rotated ,to initiate a dispensing 7 action.

The foregoing together with other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily roller or axle in a convenient open bracket provided for that purpose. The rolled tissue is thus available one roll at a time so that when aroll has been. completely used it is generally necessary to secure. a new roll from a relatively remote location,remove the old hub from its supporting bracket and, finally, reinsert the axle into the new hub and reposition the new roll within the same bracket. I

The foregoing method presents certain disadvantages whichmay be overcome by the practice of the present invention. For instance, in accordance with the present invention itis unnecessary to store the extra, unused rolls of toilet tissue at a relatively remote location since they are maintained in a clean and dry condition ready for instant use in the same container from which they are dispensedl This is-particularly advantageous both in the case'of small bathrooms as found inmany apartments'or smaller dwellings where extra storage space is always at a premium, and'is equally advantageous for use in hotels orbusy public places where the labor involved in frequently replacing a single'roll at a time in theusual fixture is of considerable magnitude. In addition, wherever the device of the present invention is employed, it presents a clean, neat and generally attractive appearance. 7

Although it has been proposed in the past to arrange more, than a single roll of toilet tissue for dispensingaccomplishing thesame journal type of support. Needless ;'to say, such devices have not generally found wide public acceptance due to their complicated and expensive nature as well as the difliculty and expense of maintenance and even'difiiculty in using such devices.

It is, accordingly, a principal object of the present apparent to one skilled in the art from a consideration of the following detailed specification taken in conjunction, with the accompanying figures of drawing in which: Figurel is an overall perspective view illustrating a preferred embodiment of. dispensing container in accordance with the present invention;

.,Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through the dispensing container taken substantially along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3; is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view .through a portion of the dispensing container of Figures 1 and 2, taken substantially along the line 3--3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken subst'antiallyalong the line 44 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a'fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to Figure 2 but illustrating the lower portion only of the dispensing container to show an empty hub being withdrawn therefrom.

'Referring now in somewhat greater detail to the various I figures of the drawing, and in particular to Figure l, the improved combination storage and dispensing device in accordance with the'present invention is seen to comprise an elongated, generally rectangular container 10 which is hollow and adapted to loosely hold a plurality of rolls 'of wound material. The container 10 is preferably made of light gauge metal of'any suitable kind but may also be formed of arnolded plastic-or other material if desired. In the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings, the container is suitably proportionedto hold three rolls of ordinary toilet tissue invention to provide a combination storage and dispensing 1 of standard shape and size although it will be apparent that other'shapes and sizes of wound material such as, for example, paper toweling, may be similarly handled simply by changing the shape and dimensions of the parts.

As shown in Figure 1, the container 10 is provided with aflat open top having a suitable lid 12 hingedly mounted along one edge at the top of the container as indicated by reference numeral 14. The front and rear walls of the container 10 designated by reference numerals 16 and 18, respectively, in Figures 2, 4 and 5, are preferably fiat. However, the vertical side walls 20 and 22, respectively, are curved'at their lower ends'so that the bottom portion of the container10 is of semi-cylindrical shape. The lowermost surface of the container is suitably cut. or

Q otherwise formed to provide a downwardly open, center slot 24 which extends continuously across the curved surface of the container in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of generatiofn of the-semi-cylindrical bottom portion of the latter. It will be-particularly notedthat the width of the'slot- 24 is smaller than the-Width or diameter of any of the winding-,hubs of-rolled material within the container, one such hub being designated by numeral 26 in Figure'S. in I Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 3, it will be noted that in the preferred form of the device in accordance with the present invention, each of the front and rear Walls 16 and 18, respectively, is provided with a keyhole slot adjacent the bottom of the container formed as a vertical continuation of the-downwardly open center slot 24. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the keyhole slot is designated generallyby reference numeral 28 and is seen to comprise an upper circular portion 30 and a lower straight portion 32. Again it will be particularly noted that the width of the lower straight portion 32 of the keyhole slots is less than the width or diameter of the disposable Winding hubs 26 whereas the width or diameter of the upper circular portion 30 of each of the keyhole slots is substantially greater than the width or diameter of the winding hubs 26 sothat the latter may be withdrawn through the circular-slot portions 30 in the manner indicated diagrammatically in Figure 5. While I have illustrated keyhole slots as constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that various otherslot shapes may be employed so long as the desired relationship between tlie upper and lower portions of the slots andthe width or diameter of the winding hubs 26 is maintained. It is also to be understood that, while I have illustrated a keyhole slot 23 in both the front and rear walls 16 and 18 of the container 10, it is possible to employ only a singlesueh slot Without departing from the principles of the invention.

Referring now particularly to Figures 2, 3, and 4; there is illustrated a preferred mechanismfor selectively maintaining the lowermost of the rolls within th'e container out of contact with the other rolls therein while at the same time being manually operable-to'position a single one of the rolls into the bottom portion of the container. As shown in these figures, this mechanism takes the form of a generally hollow, semi-cylindrical cradle 34, preferably formed of wire which has been bent and soldered or otherwise suitably securedtogether intothe form as shown. At the opposite ends of the' longitudinal axis of the cradle 34, the wire is bent outwardly toform stub shafts 36-38. The stub shaft 36 is journ'aled within a suitable aperture provided in the rear wall 18 of the container and is freely rotatable therein. The opposite stub shaft 38 projects outwardly through a similar aperature in the front wall 16 of the container and is surrounded and firmly secured to the operating shaft 40' of a manually operable handle 42. The handle 42 is thus rotatably mounted on the exterior of the container While the cradle 34 is freely rotatable within the middle portion of the container.

It is believed that the operation of the device may be generally understood from the foregoing description. In brief,- however, it'will be understood that the container 10 may be mounted in any convenient manner, as by means of screws; nails, or the like; upon a wall or other structure conveniently located adjacent the point of use of the rolled material; The container 10 is preferably mounted in a substantially vertical position as illustrated in Figure l and, when thus secured in position, a plurality of rolls of Wound material, which in the present case are shown in dotted lines'in Figures 2 and 3 as conventional rolls of toilet tissue'A, B and-C, may be inserted into the container 10 byfirstlifting the lid'12.

Although the container 10 is adapted to hold three full rolls of toilet tissue, if the container is entirely empty at the beginning of the loading-operation, -it;-wil1'b@ ecessary to operate the cradle 34 at some point during the loading operation. For example; when the firs'troll' A is inserted through the open top of the container, it will fall into the cradle 34 which must be rotated by means of the handle 42, either one full turn or two half turns, in order to position roll A into dispensing position in the bottom of the container. Thereafter the two upper rolls, B and C, may be inserted into the positions as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure Zand the lid l2 closed to maintain all of the toilet tissue in a clean and dry condition.

It will be particularly noted-in Figures 2 and 3 that the lowermost roll A is maintained at all times out of contact with either'of the upper rolls B or C which are supported by the cradle 34. The lowermost roll A may thus be rotated manually by inserting a finger through the slot 30 so as to bring a free edge of the Wound material through the downwardly open slot 24 from which it may be dispensed by. merelyv pulling upon it. When the bottom roll A has bee'n' completely used up, the empty winding hub 26 will not fall out the bottom slot 24'since it is of larger diameter than the latter, but may be manually moved upwardly and withdrawn through a slot 30 in the manner indicated in Figures; Thereafter the roll B may be positioned downwardly into the dispensing position by rotating the handle 42 either a full turn in one direction or two half turns in' opposite directions, ineither of which cases the uppermost roll C will then rest upon the cradle 34 and will be prevented by the latter from moving into contact with the roll in dispensing position. It will be apparent thatthe container 10 may be refilled after either one, two or all of the rolls have been consumed in use. i

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the combination storage and dispensing device in accordance with thepresent'inventinn is of extremely simple and economical construction andemploys a minimum of moving parts in its operation. By reason of the fact that the lowermost roll in dispensing position is maintained out of contact with the upper rolls and is thus relieved of th e'pressur e or weightof'the latter, it'is not necessary to provide any special axle'or spindle for th e'roll's which will turn freely as thewound material is pulled therefrom through the slot-24. Furthermore, it is virtually impossible to operate the cradle 34' in an incorrect manner as any inadvertent atte'rnpt 'to'positiona second roll into dispensingposition while another'rollis already in such position will'produce either'no efiect, or, if the lowermost roll has been largely consumed at'the time, a jamming of the operating handle 42 which will'immediately inform the user that a simpleadjnstment should be made by manually raising the lowermost roll so as to push the upper roll back into position wherit may be reengaged by the cradle 34. I

While I have shown and described hereiu'a preferred embodiment of the" invention solely for the purpose of illustration. it will be apparent that numerous modifications, alterations and deviations from the specific structure disclosed will occur t'o'those skilled in the art without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the'invention. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A combinationstorage and dispensing device comprising an elongated, generally rectangular, hollow container adapted to loosely contain three rolls of toilet tissue and having a'flat open top and a semi-cylindrical bottom portion provided with a downwardly open, center slotextendingcontinuously across the lowermost surface of said container in a directionsubstantially. parallel to the axis of generation of said semicylindric al bottom portion, a lid hingedly mounted alongone edge at the top of said container for closing thetop end of the latter, a wire cradle of generally hollow, semi cylindrical shape pivotally mounted at the oppositeends of its longitudinal axis for free rotation within the middle portion of said container, a handle rotatably mounted on the exterior of said container and having an operating shaft extending through the container wall and connected to the axis of said cradle for rotating the latter, and a pair of keyhole slots formed in the opposite flat walls of said container adjacent the bottom thereof as vertical continuations of said center slot, the width of said center slot and the lower portions of said keyhole slots being smaller, and the diameter of the upper, circular portions of said keyhole slots being greater, than the diameter of any of the winding hubs of said rolls.

2. A combination storage and dispensing device comprising a container adapted to loosely contain a plurality of rolls of toilet tissue and having a flat open top and a semi-cylindrical bottom portion provided with a downwardly open, center slot extending continuously across the lowermost surface of said container in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of generation of said semi-cylindrical bottom portion, a wire cradle of generally hollow, semi-cylindrical shape pivotally mounted at the opposite ends of its longitudinal axis for free rotation within the middle portion of said container, a handle rotatably mounted on the exterior of said container and having an operating shaft extending through the container wall and connected to the axis of said cradle for rotating the latter, and a pair of keyhole slots formed in the opposite flat walls of said container adjacent the bottom thereof as vertical continuations of said center'slot, the width of said center slot and the lower portions of said keyhole slots being smaller, and the diameter of the upper, circular portions of said keyhole slots being greater, than the diameter of any of the winding hubs of said rolls.

3. A combination storage and dispensing device comprising a container adapted to loosely contain a plurality of rolls of toilet tissue and having a semi-cylindrical bottom portion provided with a downwardly open, center slot extending continuously across the lowermost surface of said container in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of generation of said semi-cylindrical bottom portion, a cradle of generally hollow, semi-cylindrical shape pivotally mounted at the opposite ends of its longitudinal axis for free rotation within said container, a handle rotatably mounted on the exterior of said container and having an operating shaft extending through the container wall and connected to the axis of said cradle for rotating the latter, and a pair of keyhole slots formed in the opposite flat walls of said container adjacent the bottom thereof as vertical continuations of said center slot, the width of said center slot and the lower portions of said keyhole slots being smaller, and the diameter of the upper, circular portions of said keyhole slots being greater, than the diameter of any of the winding hubs of said rolls.

4. A combination storage and dispensing device comprising a container adapted to loosely contain a plurality of rolls of wound material and having a semi-cylindrical bottom portion provided with a downwardly open center slot extending continuously across the lowermost surface of said container in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of generation of said semi-cylindrical bottom portion, a cradle of generally hollow, semi-cylindrical shape pivotally mounted in the container above said lowermost roll, at the opposite ends of its longitudinal axis for free rotation within said container, manually operable means for rotating said cradle, and a pair of keyhole slots formed in the opposite flat walls of said container adjacent the bottom thereof as vertical continuations of said center slot, the width of said center slot and the lower portions of said keyhole slots being smaller, and the diameter of the upper, circular portions of said keyhole slots being greater, than the diameter of any of the winding hubs of said rolls.

5. A combination storage and dispensing device comprising a container adapted to hold a plurality of rolls of wound material and having a semi-cylindrical bottom portion provided with a downwardly open, center slot extending continuously across the lowermost surface of said container in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of generation of said semi-cylindrical bottom portion through which wound material from the lowermost of said rolls may be withdrawn, means within said container for selectively maintaining the lowermost of said rolls out of contact with the other rolls and manually operable to position a single one of said rolls into the bottom portion of said container, and means forming a pair of keyhole slots in the opposite flat walls of said container adjacent the bottom thereof as continuations of said center slot, the width of said center slot and the lower portions of said keyhole slots being smaller, and the width of the upper portions of said keyhole slots being greater, than the diameter of any of the winding hubs of said rolls.

6. A combination storage and dispensing device comprising a container adapted to hold a plurality of rolls of wound material and provided with a downwardly open, center slot through which wound material from the lowermost of said rolls may be withdrawn, means within said container for selectively maintaining the lowermost of said rolls out of contact with the other rolls and manually operable to position a single one of said rolls into the bottom portion of said container, and means forming a pair of keyhole slots in the opposite fiat walls of said container adjacent the bottom thereof, the width of said center slot and the lower portions of said keyhole slots being smaller, and the width of the upper portions of said keyhole slots being greater, than the diameter of any of the winding hubs of said rolls.

7. A combination storage and dispensing device comprising a container adapted to hold a plurality of rolls of wound material and provided with a downwardly open slot through which wound material from the lowermost of said rolls may be withdrawn, means within said container for selectively maintaining the lowermost of said rolls out of contact with the other rolls and operable to position a single one of said rolls into the bottom portion of said container, and means forming a generally upwardly extending slot in at least one wall of said container adjacent the bottom thereof, the width of said downwardly open slot and the lower portion of said upwardly extending slot being smaller, and the width of the upper portion of said upwardly extending slot being greater, than the diameter of any of the winding hubs of said rolls.

8. A combination storage and dispensing device comprising a container adapted to hold a plurality of rolls of wound material and provided with a downwardly open slot through which wound material from the lowermost of said rolls may be withdrawn, and means forming a generally upwardly extending slot in at least one wall of said container adjacent the bottom thereof, the width of said downwardly open slot and the lower portion of said upwardly extending slot being smaller, and the width of the upper portion of said upwardly extending slot being greater, than the diameter of any of the winding hubs of said rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,307,994 Clemens Jan. 12, 1943 2,407,971 Black Sept. 24, 1946 2,592,346 Scogin Apr. 8, 1952 2,603,427 Holmes July 15, 1952 2,605,975 Page et al. Aug. 5, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 447,673 France Nov. 4, 1912 

